Rabbit hutch



A. D. STON ER Sept. 27, 1932.

RABBIT HUTCH Filed Sept. 18, 1931 Patented Sept. 27, 1932 ABRAHAM DEWEY ASTONER, NEW WINDSOR, MARYLAND RABBIT HUTGH Application led September 18, 1931. Serial No. 563,604.`

My invention relates to enclosures or z houses adapted to confine animals for breeding purposes, and more especially to that particular type of animal house commonly lnown as a rabbit hutch. Y

The present invention is an improvement upon the structures shown and described in my prior applications, one tiled August 20, 1930, Serial No. 47 6,637, Patent Number 1,825,557 and the other filed November 8, 1930, Serial No. 496,518, Patent` Number 1,825,558. f Y 1 The main object of this invention is to provide for supporting the floors within the structure so that they may bereadily detached and removed for vconvenience inthoroughly cleaning the same, as well as provide for adjustingv the inclination of said floors and guard the opening between the rear end of each floor and back wall of the compartment through which openings the sweepings are depositedinto a chute leading to a receptacle for lcollectingthe same; j

A further object in the presentinstance is to provide an improved formv of chute and associated receptacle to receive the refuse and other sweepings from the floors of the hutch.

l/Vith these principal objects in view my present invention consistsrin the'particular construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying` drawingz- Y Y l Figure 1 is a vertical sectional,` view through the rabbit hutch.

F ig. 2 is a fragmental view looking at the rear end of the'l hutch, the receptacleat the lower end of the chute being removed.v Y

Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the partition forming the lrear wall of thelower compartment. v y c Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the re-V movable chute. v 1 v a Fig. 5 is a. detail perspective' view of the receptacle supported at the lower end of the chute. i f

Fig. 6 is a front'elevationof the plate from which the chute is suspended, ,and r Fig. 7 is a front elevationlof the guard plate at the rear end of the upper flooix` In carrying out my invention the animal house' or rabbit hutch is built of corner posts 10 to which the side walls 11, 11 and'rear wall 12 are attached with crosspieces 13, 13 at the upper and'lowerfends of the front of the 55 structure against which closes a door 14 having a panel 15of screen wire foryentilation. Although any approved form of roof may be emplo-yed I prefer the construction shown in which the roof`16 having a suitable protecto ing cover 17 is spaced from the ceiling 18 by longitudinal strips 19 'at the sides of they structure and attached to the upper ends of the corner posts toleave'an yair space 20 between'said roof and ceiling, while the side a5 walls are provided with openings 21, 21vleading to feed boxes such as shown and described in my aforementioned application tiled August 20, 1930, Serial No. 476,637.

` The corner posts areof such length as to support the body of the house or 'hutch a distance above the ground whereby the depending chute, hereinafter described, may be of the required ,length and the lower end thereof a suitable distance above the ground to receive a bucket or receptacle in which the refuse and sweepings from thechute are deposited. l

The-body of the hutch is of such height A as to provide two compartments with the 8o floor 22 of the upper compartmentinterposed between the feed openings 21, y21 and the floor 23 of the lower compartment a slight distance above the lower lends of the side walls of the housing, said floors each being supported at its forward end by a hook 24 engaging a crossbar 25 extending between the side walls, it being noted that the ends of the hooks extend rearwardly under the crossbars and that when the door 14 is closed it 9o will prevent disengagement of the hooks. The floors are preferably solid and are each provided with side flashings 26 to retain refuse and other material on the floors and prevent particles thereof from falling between the edges of the floor and side walls. The upper {ioor 22 terminates 'a slight distance from the rear wall 12 to leave a Vspace through which refuse and other sweepings from this floor may pass to the chute 27 sus- 10U pended from the bottom of the housing, and in order to protect the lower compartment from these sweepings, as well as support the rear end of said floor, I provide a vertical partition 28 in the formof a plate having its upper end 29 bent forwardly to support the ioor and its sides extended forwardly to provide attaching anges 30, 30 through which the attaching means, as screws 3l, pass into the sidesof the housing, and in order that the partition may beV adjusted vertically to vary the inclination of the floor 22 the screws pass through slots 32 in the side flanges of said partition. The lower floor 23 is support.- ed on angle plates 33 attachedto the sides the housing by screws 34 passing .through slots 35 permitting adjustment of the inclination yof this floor, and the rear end of the latter terminates a slight distance from the lower end of the partition 28 to leave an opening through which the sweepings may pass into the chute 27 below the rear end of said Hoon The discharge opening at the rear end .of the upper floor is protected, so that the rabbit will not catch his feet int-o the same, by means of the forwardly projecting portion .of a bent plate 36 secured to the rear wall of the housing by screws 37 passing through slots 38 (Fig. 7) so thatV said plate may be adjusted to accommodate any adjustment of the ioor, and likewise the discharge opening at the rear end of the lower floor 23 is protected by a forwardly projecting guard strip 39 extending from the partition 28 near the lower end thereof, said strip being struck from the partition plate as indicated in the drawing.

For suspending the chute 27 below the discharge openings at the rear ends of the upper and lower floors of the housing I provide a hanger in the form of a U-shaped plate 40 the longer portion of which depends fromthe inner side of the rear wall 12 and the vend members attached to the side walls 1l. 11` to` extend below the lower edges thereof with the lower ends of said end members turned outwardly and upwardly to form rails 41 forv slidable engagement therewith of the upper inwardly turned portions 42 of the side walls of the chute, the lower ends of said side walls being turned outwardly to form rails 43' on which slide the inwardly turned portions 44 at the upper ends of the si de walls of a receptacle 45 suspended from the lower end of the chute. As will be noted by refer ence to Fig. l the forward end of the receptacle is shallow so as to aermit said recept-acle to be slid on to the lower cud of the chute from the rear thereof, and that the front wall of the chute is offset, at 46, to overlap the upper edge of said shallow front wall of the receptacle while the rear wall of the lattervbears against the chute at the rear Vend thereof. rllhe rear end of the chute is left open between the inwardly projecting flanges 47, 47 and this opening is covered by means of a plate 48 suitably hinged to the rear wall of the housing preferably by means of pintle-ears 49, 49 into which project the ends of a rod 50 secured to the upper end of the cover plate by turning the metal over the same, .as shown in Fig. 2. This cover plate is provided at its side edges with inwardly projecting flanges 5l overlapping the sides of the chute. By t iis arrangement the chute is removably-attached to the supporting plate 40 being slid into engagement with the rails '41 from the forward end of said supporing plate, for which purpose the upper ends oi" the side iianges 47 are cut away, and of course the chute may be reversed by sliding it into engagement with the supporting plate or hanger from the rear end of the latter, and in either arrangement thereof the receptacle can be slid into position by sliding the inwardly curved upper ends of the side walls of said receptacle on the outwardly turned lower ends of the side walls of the chute.

By the construction shown in the accompanying drawing andhereinbefore described I provide for varying the inclination of the floors of the compartments and leave a. space .or opening at the end of each floor so that it will drain to the chute and receptacle or catch basin at the lower end of the chute, the partition forming the rear wall of the lower compartment cooperating with the rear wall of the housing to form an auxiliary chute for the refuse discharged from the upper floor so that this refuse cannot enter the lower compartment, and although I prefer to use a removable catch basin or receptacle at the lower end of the chute this may be dispensed with by placing a bucket below the discharge end of the chute. Then the chute 27 is arranged as shown in Fig. l of the drawing the receptacle 45 is removed by sliding the same rearwardly, and of course this is thel arrangement when the rabbit hutch is located for access to said receptacle from the rear, but in such cases where the hutch is located with the back against a wall the chute will be reversed so that the receptacle can be removed by sliding it forwardly instead of backwardly, and in this instance the plate 48 covering the'open side ofsaid chute can be swung from iixtures attached vto the lower ends of the side walls ofthe housing.

It will be apparent that the particular construction of the rabbit hutch not only insures the comfortof the animals but facilitates the operation of keeping the hutch in a sanitary condition, and of course the hutch can be built to provide more than two compartments one above another, the same arrangement as tor partitions being carried out with respect to those compartments located below the one above for the protect-ion of the animals from the refuse discharged from the floors into the chute and receptacle for collecting the refuse.

I claim 1. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having a door at the front end thereof, a floor for the enclosure, and means for supporting the floor consisting of a hook eXtendin -rearwardlyfrom the under side of the forward end thereof, a crossbar with whichthe hook engages located adjacent the front edges of the side walls of the enclosure against which the door closes, and adjustable means for supporting the rear eriid of the floor to vary the'inclinationV there-v o Y 2. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having a iloorwith its rear end spaced from the rear wall of the compartment in which the animals are housed to provide a discharge opening from the floor, a guard strip extending over saidopening to cover the same, and a receptacle below the opening to receive the refuse from the floor.

3. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure havingvupper andlower floors dividing the enclosure into compartments for the animals, said floors being spaced from the rear wall of the enclosure to provide discharge openings from the floors at the rear ends thereof, means for hingedly n supporting the forward end of the upper floor, anda vertically `adjustable partition forming the rear wall yof the lower compartment and on which the rear end of said upper floor rests for varying the inclination of said floor and for protecting the lower compartment from the refuse discharged from the upper floor. Y

4. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having upper and lower floors dividing the enclosure into compartments for the animals, said floors being spaced from the rear wall of the enclosure to provide discharge openings from theiioors at the rear ends thereof, means for hingedly supporting Vthe forward end of the upper iioor, and a vertically adjustable partition forming the rear wall of thelower compartment and on which the rear end Vcf said upper floor rests for varying the inclination of said ioor and for protecting the lower compartment from the refuse discharged from the upper floor; together with a vertically adj ustable guard strip attached to the enclosure to cover the opening at they rear end of the upper floor, and a guard strip carried by the partition to cover the opening at the rear end of the lower floor.

5. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having upper and lower iioors dividing the enclosure into compartments for the animals, said floors being spaced from the rear wall ofthe enclosure to provide discharge openings from the floors at the rear ends thereof, means for hingedly supporting the forward end of theupper oor, a vertically adjustablepartitionV formtof'covei'rthe opening at the rear end of the 80 Y llower floor. i ,Y 6. An animal' houseor rabbit hutch comprising an" enclosure `having upperand lower floors spaced from the rea-r wall thereof to provide discharge openings from the floors with' apartition belowthe rear end of the up-- per floor to form the rear wall of the 'lower compartment spaced from the rear wall of .the enclosure, a hangerfsecuredto the vlower end Jof the enclosure on avertical line with A the aforesaid. openings,l a chute suspended from said hanger, andla receptacle detachably connected to the lower'end of the chute.

7. An animal house'or rabbit hutch comprisin g an enclosure having'upper and lower floors spaced from the rearwall thereof to provide discharge openings from the floors with a partition below the rear end of the upper floor to for1n the rear wall of thelower compartment spaced `fromrthe'rear wall of the enclosure, a hanger in the form of a U- `shape plate with outwardly bent. portions forming rails at the sides thereof, said hanger 'being secured to the lower end of the enclosure on a vertical line withl the aforesaid openings at the rea-r ends of the floors, a chute having inwardlyvturned portions at its upper end slidable on the rails of the hanger and outwardly turned lower ends forming supporting rails, and a receptacle Vdetachably connected to the lower end of the chute and having inturned upper ends slidable on the rails at the lower end of said chute. Y

8. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having upper and lower floors spaced from the rear wall thereof to provide discharge openings from the oors with a lpartition below the rear end of the upper floor to form the rear wall ofthe lower Y compartment spaced from the rear` wallof the enclosure, a hanger in the form of a U- shape plate with outwardly bent portions Vforming rails at the sides thereof, said hanger being securedto the lower end of the enclosure on a vertical line with the aforesaid openings at the rear ends of the floors, a

chute suspended from the rails at the sidesv of the hanger andv having the lower ends thereof bent outwardly to form supporting rails, said chute being open at one side, la receptacle having inturned upper ends' slidable on the rails at the lower end of the chute, and a 4plate, hinged to the enclosure to cover the open side of said chute.

, 9. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having floors forming upper and lower compartments, said floors being spaced from the rear wall of the enclosure to provide discharge openings through which refuse is discharged from the floors, means for supporting the lower floor for varying the inclination thereof, and a vertical partition below the rear end of the upper loor formed of a plateha-ving sidev flanges projecting at right angles thereto with vertical slots through which screws pass for -adjustably securing said partition to the sides of the enclosure. Y

10. An animal house or rabbit hutch comprising an enclosure having floors forming upper and lower compartments, said floors being spaced from the rear wall of the enclosure to provide discharge openings through which refuse is discharged from the floors, means for supporting the lower floor for varying the inclination thereof, a. vertical partition below the rear end of the upper floor formed of a plate having side flanges projecting at right langles thereto with vertical slots through which screws pass for adjustably securing said partition to the sides of the enclosure, said partition having a guard strip extending outwardly from near the lower end thereof over the opening at the rear end of the lower floor, and a guard strip secured to the enclosure to extend over tihe opening at the rear end of the upper oor. v

Y ABRAHAM DEWEY STONER.

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